Nords are very well-suited for the Crusader class due to their natural skill in Blade, Blunt, Heavy Armor and Restoration. Their lack of a high Willpower can easily be overcome by choosing the Lady birthsign, which will also boost their already high Endurance at the same time.

Playing as a Knight as Nord is a possibility, but can prove quite challenging in earlier stages of your playthrough, due to a low Speechcraft and Illusion skills, a low Personality attribute and a smaller magicka pool.